Why Is the Second Movie in Iconic Film Trilogies So Often the Best?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/quora/why-is-the-second-movie-i_b_2370654.html

The above link is to a thoughtful (yah!) and long (boo!) article in Huff Post Entertainment.

My answer is a bit more succinct:


a)  in the first film, the director is still under the control of the money people;

b)  in the second film, the director has unusual freedom based on the success of film #1, and the money
people think that nothing succeeds like success, so have at it.
Thus, the director is able to fully flesh out the vision.

c)  everyone runs out of steam, and the thrill is gone.


This fits The Matrix perfectly.
Also the Alien oeuvre and many more.

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